The global power play has decisively shifted to the tropical littoral waters of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and the South China Sea (SCS). The ongoing global order is seeing a massive churn in international relations. The rapid rise of China and the relative decline in the American hegemony has given rise to enhanced contestation and confrontation, largely on economic and political matters that have led to brinkmanship on the military front as well. The pandemic has brought a new set of alignment among nations and also among adversaries. Navies are being openly deployed for joint exercises to re-enforce alliances and proclaim military dominance. The naval deployments have started to see a massive shift towards submarine operations. Even in India, there is a decisive mandate for enhancing our submarine fleet both on the strategic as well as conventional platforms. The entire Southeast Asia is seeing a significant push towards submarine acquisition. Submarine operations is a completely different paradigm in naval operations and brings in, a whole new dimension to the naval engagement for self and the adversary. A very complex naval theatre seems to be emerging in the Indo-Pacific for naval operations to be conducted in future, and it does requires far better situational awareness. The AUKUS is the latest development that will have far reaching ramifications on multiple fronts.
Maritime Research Center
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